Puppy - Heart Problem (Help)

Millem

Magenta wrote: »

Limbo123 wrote: »

And yes, it may just be my unwritten rule, but if you cannot afford the upkeep of a dog/ cat, buy a goldfish!

If the op can't afford to pay vet bills in a worse case scenario, she shouldn't own a pet!

In this worse case scenario, a ' poorly bred' pup has been purchased!!!!! There is plenty of info from vets/ kennel clubs/ Internet etc regarding purchasing of puppies!

Who are you to be so judgemental??? You've spent what, 4k since last January alone? Not everyone has that kind of money, so stop lording it over other people. And by the way, throwing lots of money at a vet doesn't make you fit to own a dog. Quality of life is more important and if this puppy is going to have a sickly short life then maybe it would be better off put down.
Shame all your money can't buy you some empathy. What a disgraceful thing to say about someone in such a position.

I think alot of people agree "if you can't afford the vet you can't afford a pet" theory. Vet being yearly vaccinations, good food, wormers, insurance etc not crazy bills of €4000. The vet bills I have faced are extremely excessive and extraordinary. As the OP has just gotten pup even if they had pet insurance it wouldn't cover it as it has been diagnosed before 14 days. Op I think you need to get your vet to refer your dog for an ultrasound to establish the extent of the condition.

star-pants

Guys there's a few of you getting all personal and attacking posters - cut it out or I'll be dealing out cards.
Reply helping the OP or not at all.

And stop making people feel bad for perhaps not doing 110% research, the OP especially is here now asking for help.

Delancey

OP , why not keep the pup ? You may have some very good times together and while I would not wish to undermine yout vets opinion its worth remembering that a lot of pups have murmurs that go away with time.
It's possible the pup may have more than 1 years life left and I have serious doubts you'll get a refund from the breeder - much is talked about breeders obligations but I regret to say a lot of breeders don't stand over them.
You and the pup could have some great times together yet.

JustAThought

I'm very sorry for your troubles; it reallysounds like a dreadful situation to be in. tBH I'd be heartbroken; but the practicalities if the situation are very harsh. If you try and get pet insurance now the condition as it is already diagnosed will be excluded from the policy. Have a talk with your vet & ask them what the likely continuing spend on your new puppy could be. Then consider. If I were you and I had decided to return the pup; I would not be accepting another one from the sand breeder IKC registered or not; the genes are no doubt flawed.
It's not what you opted in for and instead of a lifetime of difficulties & restrictions , dramas and costs; it is now still reasonable to expect the professional breeder to live up to your reasonable expectations of the goods they provided.
V sad thou

JustAThought

Of course if they're not an IKC " professional" breeder they are still a merchant providing goods & services -and therefore you will be covered by the Provision Of Goids & Services Act!!! ... Under which you will be entitled to various things protected bylaw. If your seller isn't aware of thus they might not like their " business" to be put to scrutiny... If you know what I mean. That is; if you decide that the conditions under which you were sold the pup ( vet check/ professionally administered shots / fit for purpose/ reasonable quality.. etc) were misleading ...

boardmember

Guys thank you all so much for the advice, it has helped an awful lot. It would be very difficult for us to sustain any health plan with the vet as we do not have the expenses and simply can afford it. We got in touch with the breeder who has thankfully agreed to refund us, however I am 99% sure she will be put to sleep if I return her.

It seems there is a practical and moral situation here

planetX

It's a no-win situation for OP, very sad. I hope you report this to the Kennel Club - it would be good if this breeder can be prevented from breeding from the same pair again. Doubtful though, they are making huge money from Maltese at the expense of pups like this one:(

tk123

Get a second opinion OP you've nothing to lose - I only thought of that after I posted yesterday. Even in our own practice the opinions/recommendations from the vets can be worlds apart (which is why we stick to the best one lol).

Cherry Blossom

boardmember wrote: »

We got in touch with the breeder who has thankfully agreed to refund us, however I am 99% sure she will be put to sleep if I return her.

OP, Will the breeder refund you the money and let you keep the pup? If so this will allow you to manage the condition as best you can and make the call yourself as to when it is the right time. In all honesty though it's not in the pups interest to be allowed suffer unnecessarily. As a matter of interest, do you have kids?

Delancey

But is the pup suffering now ? Surely he/she deserves a chance at life ( short though it may be ) ? I've already mentioned that mumurs are 10 a penny in pups.
Not suggesting going to silly lenghts to prolong life but my understanding is that this problem was found in a routine vet check and not because of any symptoms.
Just seems very hard to PTS a pup that May have a future health issue , nothing to say another vet would agree with the diagnosis .

Cherry Blossom

Delancey wrote: »

But is the pup suffering now ? Surely he/she deserves a chance at life ( short though it may be ) ? I've already mentioned that mumurs are 10 a penny in pups.

This is why I asked if the Vet told the OP what grade the murmur is. Heart murmurs are graded from 1 to 6, grade 1 & 2 murmurs in puppies are relatively common, grade 3 could be something or nothing, grade 4 indicates a serious problem, grade 5 or 6 will inevitably lead to a juvenile death simply because the physical act of growing exerts a huge amount of stress on the heart. Grade 4+ are not the usual common puppy murmurs. The grade is based entirely on how loud the sound is that the vet hears through the stethoscope and the 'type' of sound they are hearing. This is why further investigations are needed to diagnose the exact cause of the problem. A 'hole' can affect (hinder) how much oxygen is actually making it's way around the body as the de-oxygenated blood mixes with the oxygenated blood via the 'hole'. In effect the pup could either suffocate or die of heart failure. If the pup is showing any signs of rapid breathing, lethargy or anything that could be associated with a lack of oxygen in the system then they are going to be suffering and should be taken to the vet asap. If further tests are done then maybe my advice would change based on the results but that's my advice as things currently stand.

Delancey

I would agree that there probably is insufficient Veterinary information available to make a decision on.

JustAThought

boardmember wrote: »

Guys thank you all so much for the advice, it has helped an awful lot. It would be very difficult for us to sustain any health plan with the vet as we do not have the expenses and simply can afford it. We got in touch with the breeder who has thankfully agreed to refund us ...

That's good news Boardmember; the long term costs of vet bills for a sick dog without insurance could really crucify you: ( it's terrible that the joy & excitement of a new pup should be made so difficult for you. No doubt if the illness is so trivial as others presume the breeder will nurture this pup on & probably resell ; otherwise a damaged & poorly bred dog is not what you signed up for with this professional breeder & you & your family should not have to bear the price for her profit making business.

I got an ultrasound & tests done on mine some time back & the ( insurance company's) bill came to over e500...